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Throughout the UK, students have been exclaiming the phrase “sixseven” during lessons in the newest meme-based phenomenon to spread through schools.

Whereas some instructors have decided to calmly disregard the craze, some have embraced it. Five instructors share how they’re managing.

‘I thought I had said something rude’

Earlier in September, I had been speaking with my year 11 students about preparing for their qualification tests in June. I don’t recall specifically what it was in connection with, but I said something like “ … if you’re targeting grades six, seven …” and the complete classroom started chuckling. It caught me completely by surprise.

My first thought was that I might have delivered an hint at something rude, or that they’d heard a quality in my speech pattern that seemed humorous. A bit exasperated – but genuinely curious and conscious that they weren’t trying to be hurtful – I asked them to elaborate. To be honest, the clarification they offered didn’t provide much difference – I still had no idea.

What could have caused it to be extra funny was the evaluating movement I had performed during speaking. Subsequently I discovered that this typically pairs with “six-seven”: My purpose was it to aid in demonstrating the action of me thinking aloud.

In order to end the trend I aim to mention it as often as I can. No approach diminishes a phenomenon like this more effectively than an grown-up attempting to get involved.

‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’

Understanding it helps so that you can avoid just blundering into statements like “indeed, there were 6, 7 hundred jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. If the number combination is unpreventable, possessing a rock-solid classroom conduct rules and requirements on student conduct is advantageous, as you can address it as you would any additional disruption, but I’ve not really needed to implement that. Policies are one thing, but if students embrace what the school is practicing, they will remain more focused by the internet crazes (especially in class periods).

Concerning sixseven, I haven’t wasted any lesson time, except for an periodic eyebrow raise and saying ““correct, those are digits, good job”. Should you offer focus on it, then it becomes a blaze. I treat it in the identical manner I would treat any different disturbance.

There was the mathematical meme craze a previous period, and there will no doubt be a new phenomenon following this. This is typical youth activity. When I was growing up, it was performing comedy characters impressions (admittedly outside the classroom).

Young people are spontaneous, and I think it’s the educator’s responsibility to behave in a way that steers them toward the direction that will enable them to their educational goals, which, fingers crossed, is graduating with certificates as opposed to a disciplinary record a mile long for the employment of meaningless numerals.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

The children utilize it like a connecting expression in the schoolyard: a pupil shouts it and the other children answer to show they are the same group. It’s like a verbal exchange or a stadium slogan – an agreed language they use. I don’t think it has any specific importance to them; they just know it’s a phenomenon to say. Regardless of what the newest phenomenon is, they want to feel part of it.

It’s prohibited in my teaching space, nevertheless – it triggers a reminder if they call it out – similar to any different shouting out is. It’s particularly challenging in maths lessons. But my pupils at primary level are children aged nine to ten, so they’re relatively compliant with the rules, although I recognize that at high school it might be a distinct scenario.

I have worked as a educator for a decade and a half, and such trends persist for a few weeks. This craze will die out shortly – this consistently happens, especially once their younger siblings commence repeating it and it stops being trendy. Afterward they shall be engaged with the subsequent trend.

‘You just have to laugh with them’

I started noticing it in August, while instructing in English at a international school. It was primarily young men repeating it. I taught ages 12 to 18 and it was widespread with the junior students. I didn’t understand its significance at the time, but being twenty-four and I realised it was merely a viral phenomenon akin to when I attended classes.

The crazes are continuously evolving. ““Skibidi” was a well-known trend at the time when I was at my training school, but it didn’t particularly exist as much in the educational setting. Differing from ““sixseven”, ““the skibidi trend” was never written on the chalkboard in class, so students were less prepared to embrace it.

I simply disregard it, or periodically I will chuckle alongside them if I inadvertently mention it, attempting to understand them and recognize that it’s merely contemporary trends. I believe they merely seek to feel that sense of togetherness and companionship.

‘Playfully shouting it means I rarely hear it now’

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